A treated patient doing well with her dilators wrote “I tried the tampon today but it didn’t work. I’m not sure why.. probably too dry, but I look forward to going back to dilating once I’m off my cycle again!”
Ellen responded: It may have been a little too early to try using a tampon. Once you are comfortable with inserting the purple and pink dilators without issue and they go in easily, this is a good sign you could try a tampon. Sometimes too light of a flow does make it drier and harder to insert properly. Try tampons on one of your moderate flow days, always use back up of a pad at first and then a panty liner once you are more comfortable with the tampon insertion. Pay close attention to the angle of your insertion… Just like the dilator you need to angle towards your rectum and then in and up. You may also need to try different brands to find the best one for you. Like me for example, I used the same brand for years until I had children then they did not feel comfortable and were not easy to insert. It took several different brands before I found one I could comfortably use. Patience is the key to tampons… It will happen, just don’t force it.
